Motion-checking device for wheel steering mechanisms.



No. 883,236. PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906.

' H. LEMP.

MOTION CHECKING DEVICE FOR WHEEL STEERING MECHANISMS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 19.1906.

V 3 SHEETSSHEET 1 Witnesses:

lnverfitor /5/, Hermann Lamp D'f/ 6/: n f By N0.'s3s,23o. PATBNTED ocT. 16, 1906.

. H. LEMP. MOTION CHECKING DEVICE FOR WHEEL STEERING MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19.1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v M flA ZZ/M, "Her'mann hemp No. 833,230. I PATENTED 0G T.1 6', 1906.

H. LEMP. MOTION CHECKING DEVICE FOR WHEEL STEERING MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19.1905;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Witnesses: I v I "Inven'tQofi d, ,Her'r'nann Lemp, W By closed;

from the power-multiplying device.

*UNITEDHSTAZIE;

r igrnnr OFFICE.

HERMANN Lin 1P, DE LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS;IASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELEC"R1.C COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

moriom-rcm-toxme DEVICE FOR WHEEL STEERING MECHANISMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Application tiled May 19. 1905. Serial No. 261,144.

To 0,7,] whom/it may concern:

Be it known that- 1, 'IEIERMAnN LEMP, a citi- "ien of the United States, residing at Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usel'u'l lni rovements in Motion-Checking Devices for Vlzeel Steering Mechanism, of which the following is aspecilication. l

This invention relates to automobiles having'steering-gear operated by adiand-wheel'; and its object is to provide a simple and. effective hydraulic check for the same.

In a pending application, Serial No. 188,848, 1 have shown'and claimed broadly asteering-gear in which there is a powertnultiplying device between the .:-in(l-'-.v,lieel and the steering-wheels and a hydraulic checking device independent of or separate The present application relates to a specific form of such a structure in which the checking is performed by two pistons connected to a rocker and working in separate cylinders connected by a passage controlled by a balanced valve, which reduces to a minim u in the eiiort required to operate it.

The invention is especially appl' :able to higlispeed cars,.where' all lost motion between the hand-wheel and the steering-wheels must be eliminated in order togive the operator perfect control. For this reason those forms of steering-check which require an initial movement of the steering handle or wheel to open the valves before the steering-gear is actuated are unsuitable for high-speed. cars. In the present invention there is no lost motion due to the stem-111g check. The checking is performed by pistons acting on a body of liquid, and the strains are transmitted to them by short straight con11eotions,.so that the parts are rigid and immovable when the valve is The check is controlled by a single balanced valve whose movement is not effected by the pressure of the liquid. its iine of motion is perpendicular to the plane of rotation/of the handqvheel, so that the slight effort required to operate it does not affect the accuracy of the steering. The valve is preferably operated by squeezing together two adjacent hand-wheels at the upper end of the steering-post, one wheel bein secured to the steering-post and the .ot er heel connected with the valve.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation ofan incline d wheelstoering gear equipped with my improved motion-chinking device. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the cylinders, pistons, and valve. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the lower portion of the device looking from the opposite side of Fig. 1. Fig; 4 is a front view of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line 6 6, Fig. 1.. Figs. 7' and 9 are sectional elevations of a hand-wheel, illustrating modifications. Figs. 8' and 10 are respectively plan views of the same; and Figs. 11, 12, 13, and-14 are details of construction of said wheels. 7

The casing] is provided witha flange 2 for securing it to the floor oi the automobilebod y, the axis of said casing being inclined at any desired angle to said floor. The cap or bonnet 3 oi said casing is bolted to said flanges and is provided with upwardly-extending arms 4, supporting a bearing .5 for the steering-post 6, to whose upper end is secured the hand-wheel '7. Between. the arms 4 is a bevel-pinion S, secured to the lower end of the steering-post and meshing with 21. seg ment bevel-gear O, mounted on one of the trunnions 10 of a rocker or walking-beam 11, located inside the casing 1. Said trunnions are journaled in the casing and the bonnet 3. The opposite trunnion carries an arm 12, which actua'tes the steering-wheels of the vehicle. A guard 13 is preferably secured to the'side of the bearing 5 and overlaps the segin'entgcar to keep it in mesh with the pinion.

Pivoled to each end of the, rocker 11 is a connecting-rod 14;, which is also pivotally attached to a trunk-piston 15. File two pistons operate in suitable cylinders 16, formed in the casing 1, each piston having proper cup-parking 17 to make it it watertight in its cylinder. The axes of the eylinders are preferably parallel with the axis of the steering-post. Between the cylinders is a valve-chamber 18, connected by ports 19 20 with said cylinders. preferably cylindrical and is provided with a )ushing 21. A tubular valve 22 is located in said chamber, having heads 23, which have a sliding lit in said bushing. The port 19 from'pne cylinder communicates with the space between the heads 23 and by moving The chamber isinto communication wit the top of the hand-wheel.

resists the turning -By grasping ace can also be put the port 20, thereby connecting'th'e two cylinders. Normally the valve stands as shown in Fig. 1, closing the port 20.' As the two heads 23 present the same area, the ressure on them in the space between them is balanced.

The casing is filled with liquid such as oil, which passes throu h. the tubular valve to the lower endof thevalve-chamber, thus balancingrthe pressures on the ends of the valves. he valve and its bushing can be readily removed, when necessary, by taking out the screw-plug 24 in the bottom of the casing. I

In order to operate the valve, there 18 provided a' rod 25 attached to its upper end an passing up through the casing, the rocker, and the steering-post. The rocker has a slot 26 to permit it to oscillate without strik the valve upward said s ing the rod. A helical spring 27 surrounds the rod and slots between the valve and, a stationary disk -28,'resting against the heels of the rocker. Said sprin tends to keep the valve normally closed. he up er end of the rod is attached to some manua operating device by means of which the operator of the car can maniulate said valve. In this consists .o a wheel 29, located under the hand-wheel 7 and of the same size, the adjacent faces of the rims being preferably fiat-'1 tened so that the two rims '30 3Lform portions of a cylindrical ring. The spokes of the wheel 29 project through slotsin the hub of the wheel 7 and thepihof said wheel 29 is fastened to the upper end of the rod 25. both rims and squeezing them together the operator will lift the rod and open the valve.

.In driving a high-spleed car it is usual for the operator to hold 'mself firmly against If the wheel effort, it is natural for the 0 erator to grasp the rim more tightly.

owwith the construction shown the tighter the rim is grasped the wider the valve is opened, It might even be desirable to adjust the valve so that it will never close completely, but will ermit the wheel to be moved slowly. T en on high-speed work where very little motion is required and where it is of the utmost importance to have as little loose play as possible, the car could be steered without pressing the rims at all. S ueezing the'rims would only be necessary when a decided change in direction was wanted, and this action would be performed almost automatically without any great mental effort on the part of the ,o erator. I have shown, however, two modi cations in which the rim is not divided and i.s,free to rotatethrough a limited angle, the lost, motion being utilized to 0 en the valve. Figs. 7, 8, 11, 12 show the re 25 passin up through the top of the steering-post am se- .in which the slight disadvantage in r I that the operator may unconsciously lift the t e that I prefer the other briefly rdcapitulated, as follows: When cured to a sleeve or hub 32, having spokes 33,

which carry the inverted-V-shaped cams 34. The hand-wheel 35 is loose on the post and is provided with studs or antifriction-rollers engaging the under side of said cams. An arm 37 is rigidly secured to the post and has clamped to it a yoke 38, which moves with one of the spokes 33, but permits a spoke 39 of the hand-wheel to have some lateral pla therein. When the hand-wheel is turne this lost motion causes the rollers 36 to lift the cams 34 and with them the valve-rod? When the hand-wheel has moved far enough to fully open the valve, its spoihe 39 strikes fone side of theyoke and turns the steeringpost. The Weight of the rod 25 and the. valve, aided by the s arts to their norma and-wheel is brought to rest in any angular position, thereby locking the steering-gear 1n such positiomli p Figs; 9, 10 1 3, 1h show another modification The M13837, carrying the rollers'36,

ring 27, restores the position when the A hand wheel 403s secured to'the rod and ls 'liftedby. its cams ell/When rotatsri:v

are secured-t0, lh steering-post, and onefofthemf,

has the @Mke 38 'securedto it, one spoke of the hand+wheel having a certain amount of lost motion inl's'aid yoke.v TheI' isa wheel by pulling on it and so unlock steeringigear, so forms s own, J

The operation of the device may be valve is closed, the pistons cannot move, and consequently the rocker is locked, the segi merit-gear is. immovable, wheels cannot alter their position. When the valve is opened, the steerin post can be rotated, because the liquid can ow from one cylinder to the other, permitting the rocker to'be oscillated by the pinion and se mentgear, :which at the same time move t e and this construction in the and the steering 12, connected,to the steering-wheels of-the car. 1

It will be boserved that the whole device is strong and-compact, the casing for the checking device serving as the support for the steering-post,'and the pistons moving in line's paralle with the axis of said post. This construction saves considerable valu-.

able space in the carfand effects a saving in weight.

What I by Letters Patent of the United States, is- 1. In a steering mechanism for vehicles, the combination-with a steering-post and I claim as new, and desire to secure hand-wheel, of a pinion on said post, a segment-gear meshing with said drauhc checking device control mg said gear, a valve mechanism for the hydraulic checking device, a valve-actuating rod carried by the steering-post, and a handle OD'SBJd rod lmon, a hyadjacent to the rim of said hand-wheel, so.

that both can be Conveniently grasped by the hand of the operator.

2-. In a steering mechanism for vehicles,

the combination of a hydraulic checking device, a steerin :post, a longitudinally-movable rod carrie by said post, a steering handwheel on said post, and a hand-wheel on said rod adjacent to the steering hand-wheel.

3. In a steering mechanism for vehicles, the combination with a steering-post and hand-wheel, of a hydraulic checking device,

a valve 'mechanism therefor, and means rocking element oscillated by said post, p1stons actuated in opposite directions by said rocking element, cylinders for said pistons,-

a valve controlling a passage-way between said cylinders, and a rod attached to said valve and carried by said post.

6. In a steering mechanismforvehicles, the combination with a steeringpost, of a'hydraulic checking device comprising two pistons movable simultaneously in opposite directions, cylinders for said pistons, a valve controlling the flow of liquid trom one cylinder'to the other, and a valve-rod carried by said post. 7

7. In a steering mechanism .l'or vehicles, the combination with a steering-post, of a hydraulic checking device comprising two pistons moved in opposite directions when said post is turned, cylinders for said pistons and a balanced valve controlling a passageway between said cylinders.

S. In a steering mechanism for vehicles, the combination with a steering-post, of a hydraulic checking device comprising two cylinders, a valve-chamber between them, a piston in each cylinder connected with said post, a balanced valve in said chamber. a spring for closing said valve, and a rod for opening it carried by said post.

9. In a sta ling-check; a casing having two cvlinders, a valve-chamber between them coinmunieating with both, a tubular valve in said chamber having heads of equal area exposed to the hydraulic pressure, and pistons in said cylinders.

10. In a steering-check, a casing having two cylinders, a ',valve--chamber' between them communicating with both,a tubular valve in said chamber having heads of equal area exposed to the hydraulic pressure, pistons in said cylinders, and a rocker connected with said pistons.

ll. In a steering-check, a casing having two cylinders, a I valve chamber between them communicating with both, a tubular valve in said chamber having heads of equal area exposed to the hydraulic (pressure, pistons in said cylinders, a slotte' rocker connected with said pistons, and-a valve-rod passin through said slot. I

' 12. n a steering mechanism for vehicles,

the combination with a casing containing cylinders and a valve-chamber, of a bonnet for said casing carr ing a bearing, and a steerin -post rotatab e in said bearing.

13. n a steering mechanism for vehicles,

the combination with a casing containing 80 cylinders and a valve-chamber, of a bonnet for said casing carr ing a bearing, and a steering- 0st rotatable in said bearrnginline with sai valve-chamber.

14. In a'steering mechanism for vehicles, 85 the combination with a casing and a bonnet therefor, of a rocker'having trunnionsjournaled in said casing and bonnet, a segmentgear on one trunnion, and a steering-arm on the other. o

15. In a steering mechanism for vehicles, the combination with a'casing and abonnet therefor, of a rocker having trunnions journaled in said casing and bonnet, a segmentgear on one trunnion, a; steering-arm on the 5 other, and a steering-post supportedon the bonnet and carrying a pinion meshing with the segment-gear.

16. I11 a steering mechanism for vehicles, the combination with a steering-post, of ahyr oo vdraulic checking device comprising a piston movable in a line parallel with the axis of said post.

17 In a steering mechanism for'vehicles, the combination with a steering-post, ofahy- IO 5 draulic checking device comprising two pistons movable simultaneously in opposite directions in lines parallel with the axis of said )ost.

I In witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand this 17th day of May, 1905.

HERMANN LEMP. 

